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Windows 7: Got BSOD 6 times in the span of 4 hours

It actually started yesterdy, I got one. It happened randomly, i wasn't performing an intesive task just browsing the web.

Today i was doing the same thing, browsing through twitter and email, and it happened a few times while doing so. I wasn't playing a game or anything intensive on the hardware. Although i did notice that Windows Update was installing stuff at the time. while it was updating, it crashed 3 times in 30 mins. i forced it to stop updating, i ran a chkdsk, and everything seems to run fine afterwards. but after a couple more hours, my laptop crashed (BSOD’d) a couple more times.

Attached are the dump files. I couldn’t get the system health report because I kept getting an error that said

To clarify, there doesn't seem to be a pattern when the laptop crashes. As im using IE9 to go on twitter or my email or other sites, the system just crashes. I'm also not doing something in particular on the web, it doesn't crash each time i go to twitter, or my email, etc. it's quite random.

i think it might also be helpful to note that firefox crashed on my laptop about 5 times yesterday, a few hours BEFORE my first BSOD. and each time i try to open it today, the browser crashes. the system does NOT crash when i open firefox, but i thought it was interesting that the first time Firefox has every crashed on me occurs close to the time when i got my first BSOD.

also, it's not just firefox that's immune to crashing. i've had ie9 crash twice since i stopped using firefox yesterday.

Your crashes did lead to some hard disk corruption, so that is probably why disk check provided more stability for a time. The crashes themselves point to a driver issue or memory problems.

If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.

Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).

Warning

Before you proceed with the following, answer these two questions: Are you still under warranty? Does your warranty allow you to open up the machine to check hardware? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, contact your system manufacturer.WARNING: The steps that follow can void your warranty!!!

For Part 3: If You Have Errors: If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:

Shut down and turn off your computer.

Unplug all power supplies to the computer (AC Power then battery for laptops, AC power for desktops)

Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and ensure all power drains from components.

Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working. If you do not have an anti-static workbench, desk, or pad, you can use your computer tower/case by finding a metal hold in it, such as a drive bay.

Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

An underlying driver may be incompatible\conflicting with your system. Run Driver Verifier to find any issues. To run Driver Verifier, do the following:

If Windows cannot start in normal mode with driver verifier running, start in safe mode. If it cannot start in safe mode or normal mode, restore the system restore point using System Restore OPTION TWO.

Thanks to zigzag3143 for contributing to the Verifier steps.
If you are unable to start Windows with all drivers being verified or if the blue screen crashes fail to create .dmp files, run them in groups of 5 or 10 until you find a group that causes blue screen crashes and stores the blue screen .dmp files.

The idea with Verifier is to cause the system to crash, so do the things you normally do that cause crashes. After you have a few crashes, upload the crash reports for us to take a look and try to find patterns.

When you are ready to disable Verifier: Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right click Command Prompt -> Run as administrator -> Type the following command and then Enter:

verifier /reset

-> Restart your computer.

You may also consider running the disk check again since you continue to have crashes that are probably corrupting data. Data corruption can lead to further crashes and mask the true problem.

Your crashes did lead to some hard disk corruption, so that is probably why disk check provided more stability for a time. The crashes themselves point to a driver issue or memory problems.

If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.

Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).

Warning

Before you proceed with the following, answer these two questions: Are you still under warranty? Does your warranty allow you to open up the machine to check hardware? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, contact your system manufacturer.WARNING: The steps that follow can void your warranty!!!

For Part 3: If You Have Errors: If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:

Shut down and turn off your computer.

Unplug all power supplies to the computer (AC Power then battery for laptops, AC power for desktops)

Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and ensure all power drains from components.

Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working. If you do not have an anti-static workbench, desk, or pad, you can use your computer tower/case by finding a metal hold in it, such as a drive bay.

Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

An underlying driver may be incompatible\conflicting with your system. Run Driver Verifier to find any issues. To run Driver Verifier, do the following:

If Windows cannot start in normal mode with driver verifier running, start in safe mode. If it cannot start in safe mode or normal mode, restore the system restore point using System Restore OPTION TWO.

Thanks to zigzag3143 for contributing to the Verifier steps.
If you are unable to start Windows with all drivers being verified or if the blue screen crashes fail to create .dmp files, run them in groups of 5 or 10 until you find a group that causes blue screen crashes and stores the blue screen .dmp files.

The idea with Verifier is to cause the system to crash, so do the things you normally do that cause crashes. After you have a few crashes, upload the crash reports for us to take a look and try to find patterns.

When you are ready to disable Verifier: Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right click Command Prompt -> Run as administrator -> Type the following command and then Enter:

verifier /reset

-> Restart your computer.

You may also consider running the disk check again since you continue to have crashes that are probably corrupting data. Data corruption can lead to further crashes and mask the true problem.

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